Pa. House Speaker Won't Rule Out Kathleen Kane Impeachment
By Tony Romeo
HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) - The speaker of the state house says he's not dismissing a move by a Republican member to begin impeachment proceedings against Attorney General Kathleen Kane for her decision not to defend Pennsylvania's marriage law in court.
The house member behind the possible impeachment effort is Butler County Republican Daryl Metcalfe, a staunch conservative. On Tuesday, Kane released a blistering statement, calling Metcalfe a "bully" and saying he is "misguided." But Kane may have a bigger problem. One man who does not think Metcalfe is misguided is the speaker of the house, Republican Sam Smith.
"I really don't know how far that goes at this juncture," Smith said. "But, you know, on a strict constitutional reading, you know, it's not like he's way out there."
The constitutional issue, Smith's spokesman says, is about whether an attorney general can pick and choose which laws to defend in court, and he says house GOP members are concerned about that. Smith says he doesn't know if they'll get behind impeachment but when asked if he might, the speaker responded, "I'm giving it consideration."
